A Timeline Of Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather’s Dumb Beef

On the surface, a feud between Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather doesn’t make a ton of sense. Besides the fact that they’re both tremendous shit talkers—read some of McGregor’s greatest verbal takedowns—the two men compete in entirely different sports, and one of them is technically retired. McGregor is the reigning UFC lightweight champion, and Mayweather is arguably the greatest pound-for-pound boxer of all time, with a perfect 49-0 record and championships in five weight divisions. Despite their differences, however, the two men have recently been engaged in a delightful war of words. Here’s their brief beef breakdown:

JULY 2, 2015: When Conan O’Brien asks McGregor if he would ever take on Mayweather in a boxing match, the fighter replies, “Duh! If you’re asking would I like to fight Floyd Mayweather, I mean, who would not like to dance around the ring for $180 million? If we were to get it on, I would most certainly dismantle him also.”

MAY 9, 2016: After rumors start circulating about a “billion-dollar” fight between the two in the boxing ring, Mayweather admits he started the chatter. McGregor’s mock fight flier on Instagram only adds fuel to the fire.

MAY 22, 2016: McGregor is like, nah, I’m good. "I hear the boy talking,” he tells ESPN. “The leak came out, it was him that leaked the rumor and it said he gets $100 million and I get $7 million—that’s a pay cut to me. I don’t take pay cuts. I thought boxing was where the money was at. The $7 million is absolutely laughable. He’s talking $100 million—I’m also talking $100 million. He’s getting old now. I have the size, I have the reach, I have the height, I have the youth. He needs me. I don’t need him.”

JANUARY 11, 2017: Mayweather offers McGregor $15 million for the fight. “I’m pretty sure he hasn’t even made $10 million in a MMA bout,” Mayweather says. “How can a guy talk about $20 or $30 million if he’s never made $8 or $9 million?”

A Part of Hearst Digital Media
Men's Health participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.